


Keeping it Quiet (AKA: Five Times Alec and Magnus Were Almost Busted and One Time They Were)

by CryMeARiverSong



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alec is a stuttery mess, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Because I am a SUCKER for gay vampires, Coming Out, First Kiss, GET IT, Hickeys, Homophobia, I added gay vampires, M/M, Robert Lightwood is oblivious, Secret Relationship, Supportive Magnus Bane, heh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-07-25 15:19:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7537843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryMeARiverSong/pseuds/CryMeARiverSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Secretly dating the High Warlock of Brooklyn is a lot harder than Alec would have liked, especially when your friends have no idea what the word 'privacy' means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Alec wished he had worn a better outfit. It was cold out, and the holes in his old, faded sweater were becoming more and more obvious as he walked down the street towards Magnus’s apartment. He wasn't even sure he should be doing this. It wasn't standard procedure to thank a warlock for saving your life by asking him out, especially a warlock with the reputation of Magnus Bane. Nevertheless, Alec couldn't help but feel quietly confident as he approached the buzzer. Magnus _had_ flirted with him, Izzy and Jace had both noticed and liked to bring it up at inappropriate times - even though he was pretty certain Jace was doing it with the aim of making him blush and had no idea that Alec was capable of returning the interest. He had no reason to think he'd be rejected. 

Alec pressed the buzzer and waited. Suddenly, every reason why this was a bad idea flooded his brain. His parents would disown him, The Clave would never take him seriously, and Jace… God, Alec didn't even want to think about what his parabatai would think of him if he knew what he was doing.

Magnus would probably reject him anyway, Alec decided, preparing to turn and run as far away from Magnus’s apartment as he could before his stamina rune ran out and he was forced to stop. Magnus wouldn't want to date _him._ Alec cursed himself for ever thinking there was anything to the advances Magnus had made at the party. Magnus probably flirted with everyone, and Alec was just one of many that Magnus would inevitably reject and then laugh about with his cat.

“Yes?” The sound of Magnus’s voice over the intercom jolted Alec from his thoughts. His body stiffened, and he found himself unable to speak. “Hello?” came Magnus’s voice again, “If you're selling something, I'm not interested, please go away before I-”

“It's Alec. Lightwood. Alexander Lightwood.” Alec found himself surprised that he had spoken, cutting Magnus off mid-threat, “you, um, saved my life the other day?” He found the sound of the door unlocking reassuring.

Alec made his way up the stairs slowly, trying to come up with something to say once he reached the top that wouldn't make him seem like a complete fool in front of Magnus. Having never been in this kind of situation before, Alec had only his knowledge of Izzy and Jace’s past relationships to go on, and he wasn't sure if either of them were particularly good role models. Besides, he thought, it wasn't as if this could be counted as a _normal_ situation. Magnus was - according to the institute’s files - at least three hundred years old. _This is a terrible idea_ , Alec thought, as he reached the top of the stairs.

The door was open, and although the apartment was only dimly lit by the lights of the city, Alec could see Magnus had decided to wait beside the window for him to enter. He held a glass in one hand and something small and furry in the other, cradled like a baby. Alec assumed that it was Magnus’s cat. As Magnus turned to face him, Alec realised he had been holding his breath.

Magnus placed the cat on one of the golden sofas and moved towards Alec, giving Alec a chance to read the sequined words on his t-shirt; _Blink if you want me._ Alec blinked.

“Alexander,” Magnus began, taking a sip from the glass he had in his hand, “what an unexpected visit.” A look of worry crossed Alec's face and Magnus added quickly, “Though not at all unwelcome.”

Alec ran a hand through his hair, trying to look slightly more composed than he felt. “Uh, yeah,” he said, staring at the floor, “I just wanted to say thanks, I guess. For the other day, with the demon venom.” He watched the cat disappear into another open door, and wondered absently if it led to Magnus’s bedroom. He felt a blush start to creep up his neck and hoped Magnus wouldn't notice. He felt far too warm in his sweater all of a sudden. Tugging it off over his head, Alec felt Magnus’s gaze on the area of exposed stomach where his t-shirt rode up.

“Oh, it was my pleasure.” Magnus said, his eyes flickering upwards as the t-shirt fell back into place. He smirked slightly, and busied himself pouring another glass of the strange purple mixture he was drinking. He offered it to Alec, and their hands brushed momentarily when he accepted. “Besides, it just wouldn't do to have my favourite nephilim die from something curable now, would it?”

Alec felt his heart skip a beat. The butterflies in his stomach had evolved into a swarm of angry fluttering wings that threatened to tear out of his body if he didn't do anything about them.

“At your party I- Isabelle and Jace, they, um, they said- they told me that you were uh,” Alec stared into the purple liquid in his glass, “interested. In me.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, and looked like he was about to speak, but Alec continued.

“And, I mean, you uh, said to call you? And I get it if you've changed your mind, or you were only joking, and this isn't really calling, but, I- I, uh.”

His skin was warm and there was a slight tremor to his voice. “I like you,” he said finally, looking up from his glass and staring directly into Magnus’s eyes. They were glamoured, Alec noted, warm brown and very human, hiding his warlock’s mark from view. Alec felt a pang of disappointment, he had thought the first time he saw them, that Magnus’s golden cat eyes were beautiful. Disappointment was quickly replaced with fear and a crushing sense of doom, as he registered the words that had left his mouth. “I- I mean, uh, I-”

Magnus laughed. It wasn't a malicious kind of laugh, but the type of laugh Alec recognised as the type used when someone saw a puppy in the park trying to bite at a bubble or when a toddler drove their entire face into a cake. _Magnus thought he was cute_. Alec could feel his cheeks redden to the point of no return. “Do you want to, um, go out some time?”

Magnus smiled widely, placing his glass down on the table. He moved towards Alec purposefully, placing one hand on Alec's arm. With the other, Magnus took Alec's glass and placed next to his own. When he turned back to Alec, Alec could feel his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. Magnus took both of Alec's arms in his hands, just above the elbow.

“Alexander.”

Before Alec could reply, Magnus’s face was tilted upwards and Alec felt himself being pulled down to meet him. Alec's eyes flew wide in surprise. Magnus’s lips were gentle and warm, and after a brief moment of shock Alec found he couldn't help but smile against them. He shut his eyes, letting Magnus’s mouth guide his own. Magnus must have taken this as encouragement, because suddenly Alec was against a wall and Magnus’s mouth was moving devilishly, deepening the kiss until it was all Alec was aware of. There was tongue and teeth and Alec did all he could to hold back a moan. His entire body felt warm and tingly. The sensation made him realise why people in books were always described as ‘glowing’ after their first kiss.

Alec's hands, which had been hanging stiffly at his sides, began to find their way to Magnus’s shirt, but Magnus was already pulling away.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Magnus asked, still with his hands firmly on Alec's arms. His eyes had lost their glamour, and Alec could see genuine concern for his feelings in Magnus’s golden eyes.

Internally, Alec wanted nothing more than to pull Magnus back and continue the kiss, his _first kiss_ , but instead he just put his hands on Magnus’s waist and stared directly into his golden eyes.

“I like you, Magnus,” Alec said for the second time that night.

Magnus smiled. “Are you free Friday night?”

“What's happening Friday?” Alec sprang away from Magnus, mentally cursing himself for getting so distracted that he hadn't heard the footsteps approaching up the stairs. Clary Fray, bane of Alec's existence, poked her bright orange head around the corner just as Magnus picked up his drink and took a sip. He looked so composed that Alec could only imagine how awful he must look in comparison.

“Clary, my dear,” Magnus started, watching the cat dart out of an open door and sniff suspiciously in the direction of the new arrival, “Alexander was just arranging for me to come examine the wards on the institute.”

Clary stepped further into the apartment, green eyes assessing the situation with an artist's care. “You needed cocktails to discuss wards?” Her eyes lingered on Alec for a moment, and he was suddenly very aware of every way Clary could have seen through Magnus’s lie. Surely his cheeks were still uncharacteristically red, his lips swollen from contact with Magnus’s. There would certainly be red marks on his arms where Magnus had gripped him, even if they were fading fast. Alec swallowed a lump in his throat.

“I already had one going when Alexander arrived.” Magnus crossed the room and scooped up his cat. “Now what can I do for you?” Alec noticed Magnus’s eyes had returned to their human glamour.

Clary opened her mouth to talk, but Alec cut her off.

“I had better get back to the institute and, uh, let them know to expect you on Friday,” he said, avoiding eye contact with either of them. “See you then, Magnus.” He slipped past Clary and hurried down the stairs, shivering as he left the building.

He had forgotten his sweater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My amazingly talented artist friend Karyn drew an awesome illustration for this chapter which you can see here: http://noxiim.tumblr.com/post/147203900349/ok-so-mortalspork-is-writing-an-amazing-malec-fic Please go throw it a like and a reblog because she is so talented and deserves all the love in the world :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabelle comes to the rescue as Alec briefly forgets about the marks on his neck. I'm not talking about runes.

Alec had been seeing Magnus for almost a month, and everything was great. They were being very careful, making sure nobody from the institute had any idea where Alec disappeared to every time he wasn't in his room at night. So far, Isabelle was the only other person aware that Alec was in a relationship, and only because she had been enlisted as his backup in case somebody - Jace - started snooping. 

It had been successful for the most part, all involved parties doing well to cover their tracks and give no indication that there was anything out of the ordinary going on. Alec was happier than he'd ever been. He had learnt how to enter the institute after spending the night with Magnus without alerting suspicions. He had figured out the best lies to tell and the best people to tell them to, as well as the best way to hide his late night departures and early morning arrivals. 

It was cold when he entered the institute, and although he had worked up a slight sweat on his way back, his workout gear didn't offer much protection against the chill. He used this excuse the most often, but now that it was coming into winter he would have to figure something else out sooner rather than later. The institute wasn't quite up and running yet, there were only a few lonely shadowhunters milling about with mugs of coffee and tea.

Alec ran a hand through his hair and shut the door behind him, jogging towards the elevator at a casual pace. When he reached the floor where the permanent residents of the New York institute slept, he made a beeline for his room, eager to shower and change and maybe catch up on an hour or two of sleep. Jace, however, had different ideas. 

“Alec,” Jace called, stepping out of his own room and spotting his parabatai, “you’re not usually up this early. Where have you been?”

“I, uh,” Alec began, his usual excuse suddenly seeming extremely unconvincing, “I went for a run.” Alec's voice wavered, the lie falling flat and lifeless.

“You?” Jace stared. “Got up before six, in winter, to go for a run?”

Alec nodded and shrugged, trying very hard to act like early morning exercises were something he did often. And they were, honestly, but for some reason he found himself incapable of looking convincing. He felt his heartbeat quicken. As his parabatai, it was very hard to hide things from Jace. Jace could probably tell there was something up with Alec just by their link. The fact that Alec was failing miserably to convince Jace otherwise only worsened the matter.

Jace looked Alec over, as if he could spot some kind of evidence that Alec was lying. Suddenly Alec remembered Magnus’s mouth on the side of his neck, kissing and sucking and marking him the night before. Alec hadn’t looked in the mirror before he left Magnus’s apartment that morning, but he was pretty certain that there would be dark purple patches where Magnus had been. He felt his cheeks grow warm as Jace stared him down. 

“Can I go take a shower now, or did you want something?” Alec asked, hoping that if he kept his head angled  _ just so _ he would be able to shield the marks from Jace’s view. Jace’s eyebrows knit together in a look of mixed concern and confusion, but he simply shrugged and walked back into his bedroom, leaving Alec alone in the hall.

Once Jace’s door was firmly closed Alec allowed himself a moment to relax before darting into his own room and shutting the door quickly behind him. His hand went up to his neck automatically, and although he couldn’t  _ feel _ the bruises, he knew they were there.

A giggle across the room snapped him back to his senses. “Oh dear, big brother. What  _ have _ you got there?” Isabelle sat perched on Alec's bed, still in the baggy shirt she slept in that Alec absently wondered if might’ve belonged to him at one point. “I saw you didn’t come back to your room last night and figured you might need some help when you did,” she explained, moving off the bed and craning her neck to get a better view of the bruises. 

Alec turned away and attempted to hide the marks, heat rising to his cheeks. “I'm fine, Izzy, get out. I- I can handle a few, uh-”

“Hickeys.” Isabelle seemed delighted at the distressed expression that Alec was sure he was displaying. “I can't believe Magnus Bane gave my big brother  _ hickeys. _ ” She laughed as Alec gave up trying to hide his neck. Isabelle’s eyes lit up. “By the Angel, he  _ really _ likes you.”

Alec strode over to his mirror, suddenly curious as to what his sister meant. In the mirror, Alec saw how bad he looked. From a distance, he reckoned he was probably fine, but if anyone had looked too hard they would have seen the golden glitter in his hair and all over his face, and something that Alec decided was probably a smear of Magnus’s colourful makeup on his ear. Then there were the marks. Alec counted three visible, but pulling on the collar of his top he realised there had to be at least five more running down his collarbone and chest. 

Alec groaned loudly. If he had woken Magnus before leaving, the warlock would have magicked him into a reasonable state. He'd done it before, on the mornings when Alec would wake up and make coffee and hang around long enough for Magnus to laugh at how adorable he looked sleepy. Instead, Alec stood in his bedroom mirror with Izzy beside him, grinning from ear to ear at the disheveled mess that was her older brother.

“Go take a shower, Alec, and then come to my room,” Izzy said, patting Alec's arm in a manner he supposed was meant to be reassuring, “I think I might be able to cover up your,” she smirked, gesturing vaguely, “problem areas.” 

Izzy crossed the room and opened the door. Alec could tell she was struggling not to laugh as she left.

Alec stood in the shower for a good fifteen minutes; far longer than his usual efficient washes. He watched glitter sparkle, gold against the black tile as it drained away with the soap suds and water. 

Crossing the hall meant the possibility of bumping into another curious person wanting to know where he had been all night, and Alec wasn't about to let anyone see the answer plastered in purple across his pale skin. The scarf was black, like much of Alec's wardrobe, and he couldn’t help but curse inwardly at Magnus for the inconvenient placement of the third hickey, which was right below one ear. He wound the scarf around his neck strangely, having to hold it in place with one hand as he left his room.

Jace was in the hall. Jace’s eyebrows flew upwards at the sight of Alec, scarf wound under his chin like as if removing it would cause his head to fall off. 

“Are you okay, Alec?” Jace finally asked, after what seemed like an hour of silence between them. He watched Alec with the look of a concerned but clueless sibling, which Alec appreciated, mostly for the clueless part.

“I'm fine,” Alec said, stepping out into the hall and shutting his door.

“I heard Isabelle cackling earlier, she hasn't roped you into some kind of horrible situation involving scarves, has she? You know how she gets, Al-”

Alec shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. Unlike you, Jace, I learned my lesson after the first time.”

He knocked once on Izzy’s door, to which he heard a muffled, “It's open!” Alec shrugged and gestured a quick goodbye to Jace, who looked more confused than Alec had ever seen him, and stepped through Izzy’s door. 

While Alec had been showering, it seemed like Isabelle had taken every bottle, tub, tube, and palette of makeup she owned and laid it out on her already cluttered vanity. Some were brand new, others empty bar the slightest crumb of skin-toned powder lingering at the bottom. Alec couldn’t count how many there were in total, instead he settled for staring at the collection in shock. “I thought you spent all your money on clothes,” he said blankly, turning to face his sister.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “You’d do well to spend a little  _ more _ on clothes. I would have thought now that you’ve got a boyfriend you’d put a little more effort in, Alec, really.” She pulled him over to the selection of makeup and started comparing different tones against the skin of his hand.

“My clothes are practical, Iz, they don’t need to look good,” he said, “and Magnus and I aren’t… I mean…” He paused, trying to think of the right words. “Our relationship is, uh, undefined.”

“Undefined?” Izzy rolled her eyes. Alec was beginning to worry she was going to roll her eyes back into her skull and they’d never come back out. “Even if you don't tell people, Alec, you can still make it official between the two of you. You don’t have to hide your sexuality from the guy you’re dating, you know.”

Alec reddened slightly. “Just help me cover up my, um,  _ problem areas _ , Izzy. Let me deal with my relationship status.”

“Alec, I love you, but you know if I let you deal with your relationship status alone you’d still be a virgin.” She loaded a sponge with a creamy makeup and approached Alec’s neck calmly, and with only a hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

Alec jerked away, any hope that his face wouldn’t redden further lost as the sponge missed his neck completely. He began to stutter incoherently. Isabelle caught her brother’s shoulder in one strong hand and gave him a somewhat threatening look, like ‘ _ stop moving, or I’ll cover your face in neon-pink waterproof glitter eyeliner.’ _ Or something. Alec had no idea what his sister had hidden in her makeup hoard.

The sponge Isabelle held in her other hand, Alec noticed with a pang of fear, was coated in something green. It definitely did not match his skin tone. “Izzy. Iz. Isabelle,” he stammered, “It’s  _ green _ . Why is it  _ green _ ?” He flinched slightly as the sponge collided with his neck, it was cool and soft and made him shiver a tiny bit.

“The green cancels out the redness,” Izzy informed him, continuing to dab at his skin, “So when I put the concealer over it, it’ll be less noticeable.” Alec pretended to understand.

Eventually, Izzy demanded that Alec remove his shirt. “Wh- What? Why?” Alec asked, giving his sister an almost embarrassed look. 

“Do you want to have to explain to Jace why you won't take your shirt off during training today?” She said simply, tugging the shirt's hem. As Alec allowed it over his head, he heard his sister laugh loudly. Although a significantly larger portion of his skin was now exposed to the cool air, he felt warmth flooding his chest and neck and cheeks. “Calm down, Alec. How am I supposed to blend these in when you're redder than a tomato?” Izzy shook her head and tried to hide another spurt of laughter. “There's so  _ many _ .”

“There's only eight,” Alec said, refusing to look his sister in the eyes as she set about dabbing makeup on the purple-red patches on Alec's chest. 

“ _ Only _ ?” Her voice was laced with laughter. “One is  _ only. _ Two, maybe. Eight is excessive. How did you even sit still long enough for Magnus to-”

“Just cover the hickeys, Isabelle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also has an amazing illustration by @noxiim on tumblr go check her out if you haven't already!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon notices something unusual and lets curiosity get the better of him. Almost.

It was rare for Simon to be in the institute alone. Not that he was wandering aimlessly without anyone being aware of his presence at all, Clary, Jace and Isabelle had been with him when he had entered and he was pretty sure that at least Clary hadn't already forgotten he was there. In fact, he had been given a job to do. 

“Go get Alec from his room, mundane,” Jace had said, which Simon realised wasn't as much of a request as it was an order, but, he decided, it was better than sticking around to watch Jace flirt mercilessly with Clary.

As such, he found himself wandering the halls of the institute without giving much thought as to where Alec's room actually was. Simon remembered the corridor off which all the permanent residents of the institute slept, but had a hard time finding it until the grey cat with the squashed face - Simon decided he had heard Clary calling it Church - showed up and began to twist himself around his legs as if intent on tripping him. Church began an insistent yowling that continued until Simon acknowledged him, sighing defeatedly as he crouched down beside the cat. 

“What is it, Church?” 

The cat meowed and began to walk back along the corridor. He paused midway and looked back at Simon, as if to say ‘are you coming or not?’

Simon followed Church, not even surprised at this point, that the Institute had a navigation cat that understood human speech.

After leading Simon down a corridor, to the left, up in the elevator, around a corner, past a strange room filled with nothing but empty hat stands, and into a more familiar corridor, Church stopped. He pawed at the bottom of a dark wooden door, then turned back to Simon to see if he got the message. 

“Thanks, kitty,” Simon said, leaning down to scratch the cat behind the ear.

Church swiped at Simon’s hand and bolted, disappearing from Simon’s view as he sprinted back the way they had come. Simon’s hand stung from contact with the cat’s claws, and he swore under his breath as he stood back up. 

Simon lifted his un-scratched hand up to the door handle and began to twist. There was a muffled sound behind the door, and Simon decided he’d probably better knock. He didn’t know Alec well enough to barge in with no warning, and from what he did know, he decided he wouldn’t want to get on Alec’s bad side. 

Simon rapped his knuckles on the wood of the door twice. There was a brief pause before Simon heard a door closing suddenly, and something that could have been a voice. He felt an urge to press his ear to the wood to try and make out what was being said. As he told his brain to stop being weird, the door opened.

Alec looked down at Simon with a look that Simon decided could only be described as irritated distaste. 

“What do you want?” He was shirtless, dressed only in a well-worn pair of sweatpants. Simon was confronted with not only the height of the boy in front of him, but the sheer amount of muscle. He quickly realised that Alec was easily capable of snapping him in half. Alec folded his arms across his chest, hiding several runes from Simon’s view. 

Simon opened his mouth to talk, wanting nothing more than to deliver Jace’s message and escape to somewhere not filled with intimidatingly strong teenagers, but stopped short when something in the room behind Alec caught his eye. A satiny coat in a completely un-Alec shade of purple, hanging haphazardly from a floor lamp. Simon eyed the coat over Alec’s shoulder. “Is that yours?” Simon asked, standing on the balls of his feet to get a better look past Alec. 

Alec turned to see what Simon meant. A flicker of what could have been fear played on Alec's face when he spotted the coat, although it was so quick Simon decided he could have just imagined it. “It's, uh, um... Jace’s.” Alec said unconvincingly. 

Simon frowned as the lie fell short. “Okaaaay,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Anyway,” Simon continued, “Jace asked me to come get you for-” he stopped mid-sentence. “The coat is gone.”

Alec turned around. The lamp was clear of any clothing, purple, satin, or otherwise. A faint blue haze shimmered where the coat used to be. Simon could've sworn he heard Alec swear under his breath.

Suddenly, something clicked in Simon’s head. “Is there somebody in there?” he asked, up on his tip-toes again in an attempt to survey the room further. He seemed to have forgotten his initial emotions of intimidation and fear, suddenly much more interested in getting to the bottom of the coat-related mystery. Although Alec moved to obscure Simon’s vision, he could see several things that weren't quite right with Alec's room. 

Simon had never been inside Alec's room, but the few times he'd walked past it with Clary and gotten a look through the open door, it had been scarily neat. The bed was always made with the same faded grey sheets, clothes neatly stored away in the closet and drawers and shoes (Simon noted that Alec seemed to only own two pairs - combat boots and worn sneakers) lined up neatly at the foot of the bed. He was like one of those weirdly organised people at school, with an alphabetically ordered bookshelf and their name stitched into every pair of underwear they owned. 

Today, however, Alec’s room was in a comparative state of chaos. The pillowcases were creased and rumpled, and the sheets were off the bed, scrunched and twisted as though they’d been torn off the mattress by some hurricane force. Clothes littered the floor, a t-shirt in Alec’s signature used-to-be-black-brown lay beside a solitary sock close to the door. Every now and then, Simon spotted something that couldn’t have been Alec’s, like the pair of black leather trousers poking out from under the ensuite bathroom’s door and the blue silk scarf discarded by the closet. Everything smelled like burnt sugar.

“Mundane.” Alec’s voice sent shivers running down Simon’s spine - and not in a nice way. He loomed over Simon with the most menacing stare Simon had ever experienced. “What did Jace want?” 

Simon watched as the leather trousers were pulled under the bathroom door. Alec shut his eyes and groaned. 

“By the Angel,” Alec muttered, turning to face the bathroom door. “Wait here, mundane.”

Simon just nodded while Alec shut the door in his face.

He tapped his foot on the stone floor, attempting to look casual. He could hear voices from beyond the door. It was a weird feeling, standing outside Alec's door while he and his secret lover - Simon assumed it was a lover - were on the other side. He wondered if he knew her. Was she another shadowhunter? A downworlder? Simon wasn't sure what Alec's preferred type of girl was. 

The door opened, and Alec stepped out. He shut the door behind him before Simon was able to catch a glimpse of the mystery lover.

“What did Jace need me for?” Alec asked, pulling a t-shirt on over his head.

At first, Simon blanked. “Jace? Wha- oh yeah. He, Isabelle and Clary are in the library waiting for you. Something about faeries? I'm not sure exactly.” 

Alec turned and began towards the elevator, ignoring Simon as he continued talking. 

When the elevator door closed, Simon found the courage to say something. “So…”

Alec looked straight ahead. “Don't,” he warned.

“You've got a secret girlfriend or something, right?”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Sure. Or something. And If you tell  _ anyone _ , I'll kill you.” He looked Simon in the eyes, and Simon believed every word. “I swear on the Angel, mundane, I'll kill you.”

Simon swallowed a fearful lump in his throat as the elevator dinged. “I promise, I won't,” he said, “why is it such a big deal? Doesn't Isabelle have a faerie boyfriend?”

“Shut up.”

“I just don't see why you should have to sneak around, is all. I mean, it's not like it's illegal, right? To have, uh,  _ relations _ ?”

Alec said nothing. 

“Wait, it's not illegal, is it? Is it?” Simon looked somewhat alarmed at the idea.

“No.”

“Then why do you have to hide it?”

Alec looked as if he might say something, until Jace came around the corner in front of them.

“There you are!” Jace said, looking somewhat disgruntled.  
  
Alec sent a glance towards Simon, his features clearly conveying very much the same threat as Simon had heard earlier. Simon decided that if he liked being alive his best hope from now on was to never, ever talk again.


	4. Chapter 4

Magnus Bane absolutely adored Alexander Lightwood. He adored every single thing about him. His face, for one, was Magnus’ s definition of perfect, especially when he smiled. He had the type of smile that made his entire face light up and spread an infectious feeling of happiness to everyone in the room. Then there was his personality. Straightforward, smart, with the perfect amount of hard-working and loyal to make Magnus swoon. Although Alec was quite possibly his favourite thing, Magnus also adored parties. As such, Magnus decided that the best thing in the world would be to combine his two favourite things. 

At first, Alec had been extremely against the idea. Jace and the others still had no idea about their relationship, so he didn’t want to advertise it to the entire shadow world just yet. Eventually, Magnus - with help from Isabelle - convinced Alec that making an appearance at one of Magnus’s parties wouldn’t reveal their relationship to anyone who didn’t already know and would only - in Izzy’s words - reveal that Alec was capable of doing something fun. 

An official occasion for the party had been planned, but Magnus had forgotten the exact details shortly after sending out the invitations. Usually he ended up telling people it was Chairman Meow’s birthday. Chairman Meow had had at least four birthdays already this year; not that anyone had ever seemed to notice.

Setting up was something that Magnus traditionally did using magic. The apartment flickered with blue fire as he summoned a makeshift bar and transported breakable objects from past centuries into safe places where no accidental drunken downworlder scuffles could harm them. Magnus had thrown countless parties like this during his lifetime. They were loud, dark, and generally quite fun, although Magnus would be lying if he said he remembered every one of them. That being said, it wasn't often Magnus let himself go too far in terms of drink. Magic was a hell of a hangover cure, but a drunk warlock was a dangerous thing.

Magnus allowed his mind to wander while he magicked the gold velvet sofas into storage in one of the spare rooms. Drunk downworlders were a common occurrence at his parties, faeries and vampires and werewolves were all prone to drinking little too much on occasion. Shadowhunters were, in Magnus’s experience, a tad less likely to be found doing shots of god-knows-what in the middle of his apartment. Somehow, Magnus didn’t think that he would be able to convince Alec to be the exception to this rule. Jace or Isabelle might go for it, but Alec was far too rule-abiding to consider drinking at a downworlder party. Then there was the potential that drunk Alec would find a way to expose their relationship. Not that Magnus would mind, but he respected Alec's desire to keep it between themselves (and Isabelle). 

By one o’clock in the morning, Magnus’s party was in full swing. The majority of the guests were vampires, with fair few faeries thrown in. An absence of wet-dog smell told him that no werewolves had decided to crash; that made him breathe a little easier. As much as he loved the moon’s children, they had a habit of shedding on the furniture and fighting with the vampires. The shadowhunters had arrived promptly at midnight, but Magnus hadn't been able to get a moment alone with Alec since. Every time he wasn't with Jace he was being watched by  _ someone _ . He couldn’t blame them for doing a double take whenever Alec passed, he was -in Magnus’s somewhat biased opinion- the hottest boy in the room. It almost made him a little jealous. He was pleased, however, watching Alec easily fend off the unwelcome advances in a manner that Magnus found irresistible. He needed to get his shadowhunter alone at some point tonight, or else the entire party would be a failure.

Magnus saw his opportunity at around quarter past two, when a dance circle formed and a majority of the guests found themselves clamouring to watch a truly  _ awful _ dance being performed by a vampire duo. Alec had somehow been separated from the rest of the shadowhunters, and was milling about at the edge of the room with a barely touched cocktail in one hand. Magnus approached with a steady look of determination in his black-lined eyes. 

“Magnus, hey,” Alec said, his features softening into a smile. “You look good.”

Magnus did a slightly over-dramatic spin, showing off his leather trousers and silver sequined waistcoat combo. Alec gave an appreciative smirk, taking Magnus’s hand as he came to a stop. “I know a way to make you look even better,” Alec said, pulling Magnus closer until their faces were only centimetres away from each other.

“Oh?” Magnus could feel Alec’s breath on his lips and the calloused skin of Alec’s hand in his. 

Alec closed the distance between them, placing a quick, warm kiss on Magnus’s mouth. He pulled back just as quickly. Magnus chased his lips, but Alec was already looking around, making sure nobody had seen the brief display of affection.

“Shall we take this somewhere with a little more privacy?” Magnus asked, one hand resting on Alec’s jaw softly.

Alec nodded, and Magnus pulled away. The party continued in the background, but Magnus couldn’t care less. 

The hallway was deserted and although when Magnus had said ‘privacy’ he had meant  _ bedroom _ , Alec seemed to decide that around the corner was enough. He pushed Magnus against the wall with an unnecessary amount of force. A door rattled in its frame beside them. 

“Shit, sorry, did I hurt you?” Alec immediately asked, his expression changing from desire to concern in a flash.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Shut up and kiss me.”

Alec smiled wide, and Magnus rolled his eyes again. He snaked his arms up and pulled Alec down to meet his mouth. Alec had  _ definitely _ gotten better at kissing in the past few weeks and while a little part of Magnus’s mind wanted to claim responsibility,  the rest of him was so wrapped up in the taste of Alec that he couldn't remember how to do anything else. The sound of the party was distant at best, distorted and muffled in Magnus’s ears, and barely audible above the beating of his own heart in time with Alec's. Magnus’s eyes were closed but he could feel Alec’s smile against his lips, twisted upwards at the corners. Magnus moved to press his mouth to one corner, trailing his lips down to Alec’s neck. Alec moaned, his head back. After sucking a hickey onto the pale skin under Alec’s jaw, Magnus moved back and captured Alec's lips again.

Eager to take Alec somewhere more private, Magnus pushed against the first door he found, one he was pretty sure led to one of his spare rooms. Alec pulled away from Magnus’s mouth long enough to follow him in, shutting the door behind him with his foot as he returned to Magnus’s lips. Magnus moaned, shifting so that his back was against the wall and Alec was flush against him. Magnus’s hands were on the loops of Alec's jeans while Alec's explored Magnus’s body, running under his waistcoat and appreciating the tightness of his leather trousers before moving upwards and tangling in his hair. 

Magnus opened his eyes momentarily with the aim of locating a bed on which he could ravish his boyfriend further, only to gasp and pull away.

“Magnus?” Alec whined, looking at his boyfriend with a half-concerned half-disappointed expression. 

“ _ Dios,” _ said an easily recognisable voice from the centre of the room, “this is awkward.”

Over Alec’s shoulder, Magnus saw Raphael. He was in a state of undress, wearing nothing but a shirt that was unbuttoned and creased. His jacket and trousers lay discarded in various places around the room. Magnus was very thankful for the bedsheets that concealed the things he did not want to see. 

As Alec turned, the rest of the bed became visible, and Magnus failed to hold back a snort of laughter. 

“Is that  _ Simon?” _ Alec asked in disbelief, staring back and forth between the occupants of the bed.

If vampires could blush, Magnus was pretty sure Simon would have been bright pink. “Oh my g-” Simon choked. “Magnus is your secret girlfriend.”

“And it better stay secret, Salmon,” Magnus said, calmly fixing his hair. “You too, Raphael.”

“You are the ones who interrupted us, if you remember.” Raphael had not moved from the bed. Nor had he made any attempt to cover himself better. Simon, however, looked as if he wanted nothing more than to hide under the covers for the entirety of his eternal life.

Magnus was mostly surprised at Alec, who hadn’t bolted as soon as they’d been caught or tried to cover up the fact that they’d been kissing with excuses or attempts to convince Magnus that memory magic was necessary. He just stood there, dumbstruck and bright red, looking between Raphael and Simon like they were naked in his boyfriend’s spare bed. Which they were. Magnus decided not to mention it was rude to stare. “Of course,” he said, pulling Alec towards the door. “We’ll leave you to it. Have fun.”

Once the door was firmly shut behind them, Alec grimaced. “Have fun?”

“What should I have said? Wash the sheets? Use protection?” Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“Anything but ‘have fun’. I need to wash my eyes.”   
“Later, my dear,” Magnus purred, pushing Alec through the door to his bedroom and shutting -and locking- it behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they're a little busted.


	5. Chapter 5

The buzzer went off at seven on the dot. Magnus had been asleep, curled around Alec and generally pretty happy with the entire situation, but Murphey’s Law decreed that it was the perfect time for an unexpected guest. 

With no minimal amount of effort Magnus detached himself from Alec and rolled out of bed. He pulled on the closest item of clothing and ran a hand through his thoroughly disheveled hair in an attempt to tame it, if only slightly. At this hour of the morning, Magnus didn't care what he was wearing or how he looked, he just wanted to go back to sleep with his beautiful boyfriend beside him and happy dreams in his head. 

Magnus answered the buzzer after it sounded for the fifth time. “Who dares interrupt the High Warlock of Brooklyn at rest?” He usually sounded intimidating over the intercom, charging his voice with power. Today however, Magnus imagined he came off more irritated and groggy.

“War- Mr Bane,” came the voice. Magnus vaguely recognised it. “I've come to deliver your latest payment.”

Never one to reject the offer of money in any form, Magnus pressed the button to unlock the door. When he heard footsteps approaching up the stairs, he opened the door into the stairwell and frowned. “Oh,” he said. “It's  _ you _ .”

“Yes,” said Robert Lightwood, reaching the door and stepping past Magnus into the loft. “I have the gold you asked for in return for the wards you placed on the institute.” He sat down on the plush velvet sofa and placed a heavy looking bag on the coffee table.

Magnus held back a smirk. If only Robert knew what he and Alec had been doing on that sofa last night. The thought brought a sudden realization to Magnus’s mind. Alec was still very much closeted and if his father saw him emerge from Magnus’s bedroom dressed in nothing but his boxer-briefs,  he would be very much out. With a flick of his wrist, Magnus slammed the door to his bedroom shut. The lock slid into place with an audible click.

Robert Lightwood eyed the door warily. He cleared his throat. “I think you'll find everything is in order. It was no easy task, you know, finding gold in this quantity at such short notice, but if your wards are as good as you seem to think-”

“I  _ know _ my wards are the best this side of the Atlantic, Lightwood, and you're lucky to have them,” said Magnus, who had asked for gold purely to be difficult. He strode over to the coffee table and snapped his fingers. A spark of blue fire burned away the bag, leaving a neat stack of solid gold bars. It would have been easy to just lean over and unzip it, but Magnus liked the slightly fearful look on Robert's face when an ember drifted a little too close to his chin.

“Forty bars,” said Robert. “like we agreed.” His eyes flickered between the gold and Magnus. 

Magnus noticed Robert seemed to be staring at his shirt. Other than his underwear, it was the only thing he was wearing, so he guessed Robert was scandalized or something. He rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers again. A pair of jeans materialised on his lower half. They were slightly too long and a little ill-fitting around the waist, and as Magnus looked down he realised that they were Alec's. They must've been the closest pair of trousers, Magnus thought, attempting to make the jeans look like they fit comfortably. “What?” he said, regarding Robert's quietly judgemental expression. “You've never seen a warlock dress casually in his own home?”

Robert looked Magnus up and down again and shook his head.  “Sorry, I…” he stopped mid sentence, and shook his head again. Magnus almost hoped he'd shake it right off. “Nevermind. If everything is in order, I should really-”

The handle of Magnus’s bedroom door rattled. Both men turned towards it with equal expressions of horror.

“Magnus?” 

Alec's voice was muffled through the door, and Magnus prayed that Robert's years of neglectful parenting meant he wouldn’t recognise his own son's voice.

“You have a, uh,  _ guest. _ ” Robert said blankly.

Magnus let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Yes,” he agreed. “I do. Now, you were just leaving?”

“Magnus? Why is the door locked? Is everything okay?”

Magnus looked nervously at Robert, who was staring towards the door with a confused expression. This really wasn't how Magnus wanted Alec to come out to his father. “Sorry, dear,” Magnus said, raising his voice loud enough for Alec to hear through the thick wood of the door. “A customer, that's all. He's just leaving.” He took Robert's shoulders and steered him towards the front door.

“Pleasure doing business, Robert. Give Maryse and the kids my love, will you?” he waved him off as sarcastically as it was possible to do so. The door hit Robert as it shut. He heard him stumble on the top step and smiled.

Magnus unlocked the door to his bedroom with a nod in its direction. Alec entered the living room wearing, as Magnus had predicted, nothing but his boxer-briefs. 

“Who was it?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. 

Magnus wandered over to his sofa and gestured for Alec to join him. “Your father, actually. Finally settled his bill.”

“My father?” Alec looked slightly mortified. “Oh my god. He could've- I could've- oh my god.” He sat down heavily beside Magnus, his face covered by his hands. His chest and neck had turned a warm pink. “That's why you locked the door.”

Magnus nodded, not that Alec could see through his hands. He snaked an arm around Alec's shoulders. “He's gone now.”

Alec took his hands away from his face and settled into Magnus’s embrace. After a short silence, Alec raised an eyebrow. “Are you wearing my jeans?”

Magnus shrugged. “Robert was getting uncomfortable talking to me without any trousers on. Goodness knows why, my legs are gorgeous.”

Alec snorted. “They don't even fit you. You look ridiculous.” 

“You're right. How about you help me get them off?” Magnus wiggled his eyebrows.

Rolling his eyes, Alec pecked Magnus on the cheek. “Breakfast first, okay?” He stood up, pulling Magnus with him and leading the way into the kitchen. Magnus sat on the counter, flicking his legs back and forth so that the too-long ends of the jeans flapped about and made noises. Alec gave him an exasperated look. “I don't have any problem with your legs, if you want to take-”

A spark flew from Magnus’s hand and the trousers were gone. He gave Alec a mischievous smile.

“Dammit, Magnus,” Alec grinned, rolling his eyes and carefully dropping the wooden spoon back into the drawer. He positioned himself between Magnus’s legs. “You are  _ so _ making me pancakes after this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in next time for the big reveal!


	6. Chapter 6

“Alec?” Robert knocked firmly on his son’s bedroom door. It was barely seven thirty in the morning, and it was a weekend, so surely Alec would be in his room either asleep or getting ready for training.

“Alec, it's your father. Are you in there?” There was no response, so Robert tried the doorknob. It was unlocked and swung open easily, revealing the neat room that Alec kept, decorated here and there with photographs of him, Isabelle, Jace, and Max. He frowned lightly. Any decorations at all were odd for Alec, since Robert vaguely remembered that he had stopped personalising his room when he was seven.

The reintroduction of personal touches to Alec’s space told Robert that something in his son's mood had shifted; he was no longer quite as military or as proper. Robert considered this a good thing, of course, he could tell Alec was happier than he had been in years. He just didn't know why.

Robert looked both ways down the corridor before he stepped fully into Alec's room and shut the door quickly behind him. He knew he was seriously betraying Alec’s trust by searching his room, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with his son. He began to investigate, looking closely at each photograph and checking for anything that could have led to Alec's mood change. There were more on the back of the door, four of which, for some reason, featured Magnus Bane. Three were candid, one of Magnus leaning over to pick up a cat, one where he and Isabelle were laughing at something out of frame, and one where he stood on a balcony wearing a t-shirt that was far too big and had a tear in the collar.

The fourth picture was a selfie, the only one of its kind on display. In it, Alec smiled happily into the camera, while Magnus, eyes un-glamoured, smiled happily at him.

Robert had been at Magnus Bane’s apartment earlier the same morning and something about the encounter had him worrying. From behind the warlock’s bedroom door had come the voice of what Robert had figured at the time to be one of Magnus’s lovers, and he was pretty sure he had been right. The only problem was that the voice had sounded an awful lot like his eldest son. The photos on Alec’s wall only furthered his suspicion.

He pushed the thought from his mind as he heard the door swing open.

“Dad?”

Robert tried for a non-suspicious, fatherly sort of expression as Alec stepped into the room. “Alec,” he began, “I was wondering where you were.”

“I was training.”

Alec's instant response did nothing to ease Robert's suspicion, especially as his son’s eyes shifted uneasily between him and the pictures on the door. “Oh? I checked the training room before I came here, were you… on a run?” he asked, not failing to notice how Alec took a step to the left and obscured his view of the photographs.

“Yes. A run.” Alec looked relieved to jump on Robert's suggestion.

Robert decided not to bring up the fact that Alec was wearing jeans and a button up rather than his usual exercise gear. In fact, Alec’s clothing looked familiar, as though Robert had seen it recently enough to remember it. Something about the scuffed denim at Alec's knees and the poorly repaired seam where something had caught and torn the stitches rang a bell in Robert's memory.

“Dad?”

Robert looked up at his son’s face, searching for a clue. There was a hint of concern, his eyebrows furrowing the same way Maryse’s did when she was trying not to show she was worried. “I should get back to work,” Robert said, and left the room abruptly.

In the hall, Isabelle had just emerged from her room, dressed in workout gear. Robert shut Alec's door behind him. “Since when has your brother gone running in jeans?”

Isabelle's eyes widened, if only for a split second. Just as fast, her features settled on an amused smile. “He's been doing that, lately,” she said, “something about it being good practice for undercover missions.”

If Robert had been anyone else, he probably would have immediately believed her. But Robert saw the protective edge in Izzy’s posture, the way she crossed her arms and glanced over his shoulder at Alec's door. There was more to this than she was letting on. “Are you sure that's it?”

Isabelle shrugged and nodded, uncrossing her arms in favor of picking at her chipped nail polish.

Robert was almost impressed with how easily she lied.

-

Alec was pacing the training room when Isabelle found him, looking rattled. He’d changed into actual training gear, at least, Izzy thought, approaching her brother slowly as if he were a frightened animal at risk of bolting.

“Alec? You okay?” she asked gently, interrupting his pacing by laying a hand on his crossed arms.

Alec’s eyes scanned the room, checking they were alone before answering. “Dad knows about Magnus,” he said.

Izzy’s eyebrows shot up, and Alec began to back track. “I mean, he will. Soon, probably. He’ll work it out and I don’t know what to do when he does.”

Isabelle waited for her brother’s breathing to calm before she spoke. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“He was at Magnus’s this morning. I was in bed, he didn’t see me, but he heard me talk. Then later, he was in my room, looking at my photos. And I think he recognised my jeans.”

“Your jeans?”

“Magnus was wearing them.”

Izzy filed that snippet of information away for later, and returned to the situation at hand. “Okay, so what you’re saying is Dad has a bunch of random facts, and you’re worried he’ll put two and two together and find out about you and Magnus. Alec, dad’s smart, but he’s not that smart. I doubt he even recognised your voice, let alone your jeans.”

Alec gave Izzy a doubtful look.

She rolled her eyes in response. “I’m going to say what I’ve been saying this whole-”

“No.”

“Alec, you’ve got to tell people.”

Alec shook Isabelle’s hand off his arms and took a step back. “I can’t, Iz. The Clave-”

“Screw the Clave, Alec, this is more important. You can’t just hide who you are.”

“I’ve hidden just fine this far.”

Suddenly, as if Alec had told a particularly hilarious joke, Isabelle giggled.

“What?”

“You really haven’t,” she said through a laugh,

Alec’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You’re actually terrible at hiding it. So bad.” Izzy snorted. “So many people know.”

Alec’s face was blank and pale. “Who?”

Izzy looked thoughtful for a moment. “Clary, for one,” she said, “but she knew about Magnus before I did. She texted me asking if you guys were a ‘thing’ as soon as she left Magnus’s loft the day you asked him out. She said you looked ‘incredibly flustered’. Or was it ‘thoroughly frustrated’? Something along those lines.”

Alec hid his face in his hands and Isabelle could hear a low groan escaping from in between his palms. The tips of his ears had turned tomato red, and for a brief second Izzy considered not continuing to spare her brother the humiliation. But then she decided this was too funny, and Alec could use a lesson on subtlety.

“Jace figured it out the first time you came to me for help with your hickeys.”

Alec’s groaning grew louder.

“Well, he originally just thought you’d finally found a boyfriend, he didn’t realise it was Magnus until you ‘went home early’ at Magnus’s party. Speaking of,” she grinned as Alec lifted his head from his hands to glare at her. “Simon sent me _quite_ the string of texts that night.”

Alec rolled his eyes, and managed to look murderous at the same time.

Isabelle took this as her cue to return to her brother’s side, slinging an arm around him in the sort of half-hug that they often shared to let each other know they had their back. Alec relaxed into her touch and exhaled loudly, bringing his own arm up to hug back.

“I should tell mom and dad.”

 

-

 

“Alexander, it’s going to be okay.”

Magnus watched as Alec paced back and forth the way he always did when he was over-thinking something. He’d returned to the loft approximately three hours after he had left that morning, stammered something about telling his parents, and immediately started pacing in the living room. Magnus was mildly worried he was going to wear a hole into his favourite antique rug.

“Alec, please, sit down. I’m starting to get dizzy just watching you,” he said, holding a hand out and calmly guiding his boyfriend onto the closest couch.

Alec squeezed his hand in thanks, and let out a tired sigh. “Everyone knows except my parents, Magnus,” he said, “I want to tell them. I don’t want to hide it - you - from them any more.”

Magnus let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He smiled softly down at Alec, who was staring upwards, waiting for a response. Magnus couldn’t help but wonder how he had managed to find the most perfect boyfriend in the universe.

“Do you want me to be there?” he asked eventually, rubbing a gentle circle into the palm of Alec’s hand in a soothing gesture. “I understand if you’d rather do this alone, of course-”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that for me, Mags,” Alec interrupted, and Magnus felt his heart beat a little faster. He wasn’t sure whether to blame Alec’s concern or the pet name.

“Alexander, there’s nothing your parents could say that I haven’t heard twice already,” Magnus said, pulling Alec off the couch and clasping both his hands tight.

“I don’t deserve you,” Alec murmured, leaning in to meet Magnus’s lips with his own.

 

-

 

The portal deposited them, hand in hand, directly outside the Institute doors. The few shadowhunters that had been milling about outside raised their eyebrows, but Alec resisted the urge to let go of his boyfriend’s hand, instead choosing to squeeze it tighter. Together they pushed open the front door and stepped inside, choosing to ignore the way every eye in the room immediately found them and remained staring as they continued towards the elevator.

Alec could feel every muscle in his body tensing, more nervous now than he’d been ever before. The door to the elevator closed, and Magnus was rubbing soothing circles into his palm. It was a simple gesture, but Alec appreciated it immensely. He knew Magnus wouldn’t let go unless Alec asked him to, that he’d always be right there to support him. Alec had considered asking Isabelle to be there, but he knew that she’d be too eager to join in, to support him fiercely and loudly the way only she could. She could do that later. Right now, the only support he needed was the feeling of Magnus’s thumb, tracing slow circles, reminding him that he’s there.

 

-

 

Robert and Maryse Lightwood had been in the middle of discussing something important and official when there was a knock at the office door.

“Yes?” called Maryse, in place of an invitation. Alec stepped inside first, Magnus close behind him. Magnus watched Maryse’s eyes find their clasped hands, her eyes narrowing.

She opened her mouth, probably to accuse Magnus of poisoning her son’s mind, but Alec was quicker.

“Magnus and I are dating,” he said, straight to the point. The hand that Magnus wasn’t holding picked at the hem of his shirt, betraying his air of calm. Magnus squeezed his hand in encouragement. He wondered if Robert and Maryse could see that their son was shaking.

Alec squeezed Magnus’s hand back, acknowledging his support. “If you have any objections to this,” Alec looked his mother dead in the eyes, “I don’t care.”

Maryse gaped like some kind of dying fish, all googly-eyed and breathless. Her skin had gathered a splotchy red tint, and she looked as though she might explode with objections at any moment. Robert, on the other hand, just looked as though everything he knew finally made sense. Of course, he also looked like suddenly nothing made sense, because Alec was dating a _downworlder_ , and that downworlder was a _man_.

“What?” Maryse spluttered, giving up after a good minute of attempting to form a coherent sentence. Her hands gripped her desk so hard the Magnus seriously worried she might snap it in two.

Alec stared her down, “I’m gay. Magnus is my _boyfriend_.”

“A downworlder? A _man_? Alec, of all the disgraceful-”

“Maryse.” Magnus was surprised to hear Robert interrupt his wife. He turned back to face his son. Magnus maintained eye contact with Maryse, a steady warning.

“How long has this,” Robert waved a hand vaguely towards Magnus, “been going on?”

“Six months, as of tomorrow,” Alec answered smoothly. Magnus smiled. He’d made them reservations at his favourite restaurant to celebrate.

“Are you… in love?”

Magnus felt Alec go stiff, and decided it was time to speak. He took a step forward, not letting go of Alec’s hand.

“I love Alexander,” he said, so confident in his words that he didn’t realise that it was the first time he’d said them. “I will continue to love him, with or without your approval.”

He turned back to face Alec, and almost melted as he was met by the most sincere smile he’d seen in all his years.

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my fic!  
> The ending was a little more cheesy than I initially intended but oh well lmao
> 
> I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this last chapter, but I hope it was worth waiting for me to graduate high school and figure out how the hell university works.
> 
> Special thanks to my best bros Karyn (@noxiim on tumblr) and Liz (@chairmanmeowbane on tumblr) for the encouragement and proof-reading, because I never would have finished this without them.
> 
> I'd appreciate any comments (good or bad - be brutal because I seriously want advice on how to improve for the future) and I mean Kudos would be nice too <3  
> Follow me on tumblr too, if you want. @mortalspork


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